tankhead goes west to pick up the 2014

[tankhead]

When we got back from riding, Gregg started installing the Sena com set and in walks a tall dude with glasses. Gregg said this is Mike aka Black Hills. We chatted a bit. He was looking forward to riding with us tomorrow. They seemed to have some type of route planned. Rushmore, Black Hills, Custer, Crazy Horse were all mentioned. It all sounded great. Everything out there sounds great. Words like Deadwood, Spearfish, Blackwood, Box Elder, Black Hawk. I felt my testosterone raise about 50 points just by typing those words. 8)

So early to bed.....

Black Hills rolled up about 9 and we were off. Right away they took me to a road called skyline dr. Mike pulled off at a overlook stop and from it we could see the city, Rapid City.
Or should I say one side of it. The city is split in two parts. One on one side of the ridge and the other on the other. Rich vs poor as Gregg told me.

Black Hills' Bike an 1190 Katoom Adventure..

 

[tankhead]

They took me to Rushmore first:

We came around a corner...... and there it was. Mike pulled off so I could take my first Pic....




I really felt like I was dreaming. I kept telling Gregg while we were riding. I got a little choked up at seeing it as we drove up for a side view. It truly is an awesome sight.

 

[tankhead]

We then headed to Rt 16A. Iron Mountain Road. Another great name. My balls were getting bigger by the mile. My riding, not so much. The Tenere has two "Modes" T for touring and S for Sport. I had it in S. Very twitchy. I felt like a new rider. It was annoying me. I had to conquer this beast and tame it. But instead I just continued to fumble around searching for the sweet flow of the throttle. For those of you from the east who have not made it out there, 16A is a slow going twisty paved wonderment. It was beautiful.

Hey, look at that there though the tunnel.

Those guys again::

 

[tankhead]

Then it was off to the Needles Highway. Pics only because what else is there to say.....

 

[tankhead]

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The eye of the needle

 

[tankhead]

From there we rode to


For this:

And then after lunch went to visit this guy.

 

[tankhead]

Black Hills took us to this place which was very cool.




'Merica
http://s183.photobucket.com/user/tankheadxb9sx/media/DSC02527_zpsxbmlidir.jpg.html

 

[tankhead]

The next morning we got ready for a bigger day of riding. Gregg's son Austin would be joining us. He also has a 14 Super Tenere. He used to own a KLR but out grew that in short order....He also owns that mint Mustang GT you see there in the garage. He likes high horsepower. I like that guy.
Here in the garage with all the toys

The guys saved devils tower for my last day of my visit. It was to be an epic ride... Black Hills would be meeting us at about 8:30 so I pounded some coffee had a Egg McMuffin that Gregg's wife had made for us. And we were gone.

First stop Aladdin, where you could purchase the town for a few pennies..

 

[tankhead]

It was another beautiful day. Clear blue skies to match the blue on my bike and the scenery started to change once we got into Wyoming... just past Hulett.

What is that in the distance??



Never saw pics of it's hook shape. Like a shark's tooth

 

[tankhead]

From the parking lot


The trail up and around the massive tower

 

[tankhead]

Interpretive trail:


Who or what is that up there?? Do you see it?

 

[tankhead]

Here is a better shot of a good looking climber



We got back on the bikes and headed out of the park but first I couple of pics


These little guys were everywhere: Excuse the quality of pics

 

[tankhead]

We headed to a subway for lunch but on the way I came around a corner and was overwhelmed with the glorious landscape of prairie.

Gregg and Austin


They then took me to some falls. Now I tried to locate this on Google maps but I just can't remember where this is. GREGG if you read this please feel free to chime in where the falls are for the readers.

Beautiful falls:

 

[tankhead]

The next morning I would say my goodbyes to Gregg and his family.

A word about Gregg. A lot could have gone wrong for both him and I. I could have been some weirdo and I guess so could have Gregg. I found the bike on yamahasupertenere.com. I became a member back in 2012. There was something that kept drawing me to the tenere. Came very close to buying the V-strom and or the Honda VFR1200X. But then I found Gregg's bike. From the beginning of the process we exchanged numbers and he generously offer to let me store the bike at his house so that I could scratch off a huge part of my bucket list and get to experience such a wonderful part of the country.

Gregg allowed me to stay at his house for three nights, his family was visiting for easter and I felt like I was imposing. I had the pleasure of meeting his father and step mother. Great folks. (I will be posting pictures of the terrace farming in Nebraska later in the ride report so you can show your father) Then I got to meet his newly married daughter and son in law who were also staying over another night. Along with his sister too. All very nice. I split a bottle of wine with his daughter. I offered again to get a hotel. He would have none to do about that. My wife has taught me that as much as I like to be generous sometimes you have to allow others to be generous back. So I obliged. Humbly :-\

Thanks again Gregg and Jodi. You are "good people" I consider Gregg a brother from another mother. We got a little emotional during our goodbyes in the morning


And I was off, alone for many many miles to my home in southern New Jersey.

 

[tankhead]

So with a belly full of eggs and coffee, and a camelback full of ice I pushed off.

I had time to think

I watched the landscape roll by

It was chilly

I was alone

 

[tankhead]

It was chilly. I got very cold and the clouds began to gather to the right of me. I stopped to get more coffee and put on more cold weather gear.

This was across the street from the gas station:



Wait a minute who is that dude?


Meet Ryan: Purchased this Triumph Sprint with 40,000 miles in Denver Co. He was riding it back to Minneapolis. He hit dime sized hail the night before. A trucker came over and let him know that the weather where he was headed did not look good. I worried for myself. Head south... south east....


We wished each other well and again I was off to avoid the weather that was looming where ever I pointed the bike......

 

[tankhead]

I tried to make a deal with myself. To try and comprehend the enormity of taking on this trip and the impending weather I got off the bike every 100 miles and hoped for cell service so that I could check the weather for the next 100 miles. This would not work out so well. My cell coverage would be a problem over and over again.

But for now the skies cleared and I was in the sand hills area.... all was right in the world

BLUE

 

[tankhead]

The road became red. Red with the local gravel. More pics


Then I followed a train for awhile


I win:

 

[tankhead]

My first night was to be in Ravenna NE. I took 90 to Rt 83. A straight shot down into the middle of the state. From there I got on rt 2 past Halsey to Broken Bow then down further to Ravenna west of Grand Island.

Free campsite. I bought some beer and some hot peanuts and set up camp:

The view:


Solar Power Bitches!!!!!!! charges my phone, my Sena Com, and my bluetooth speaker:



Boom: Home away from Home

 

[tankhead]

I slept very well. I had purchased the Klymit static v air sleeping pad. and the Big Agnes Pumphouse for airing up the mattress without having to blow into it. Less moisture from breath = no mold.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J972O8Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AZ5CKC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They worked very well. Packed up camp and got coffee down the street. Talked to a guy about where I have been and where I was going. Nice guy. He told me the weather should be good for awhile. I asked him if he thought I would be able to get coverage in Grand Island up ahead. "Sure" he said, "We have cell coverage too"


I headed towards Lincoln and stopped into town to check weather and call my wife before she left for work. Pulled into a super market...... NO service... smurf Looking around I saw a Cell Tower 100 Yards from me.